Snow
by AlyssWolf
Summary: It just wasn't fair. Illya hadn't planned for this whole ordeal to be just so laughable, so perfect. The American spy stood no chance against mother nature.


The white fell softly about the land, twirling and flittering ever so slightly around the bulky blonde spy as he took a step out of the cabin. He closed his eyes, drinking in the familiar winter scent and stood alone in the silence for a while, his mind as white and blank as the scene before him. He moved only once, in the form of a slight twitch of his left ear which had responded to the light gasp of awe beside him.

He glanced at the surprisingly awe stricken man standing beside him. Napoleon, his flushed body leaning slightly forward, half of it still in the door frame. He had a strange look on his face, some sort of bubbling mixture of joy, confusion, and wonder that excited him through his ice blue eyes and took shape in the breath slowly curling out of his parted lips.

Illya recognized his partner's look as one he displayed as he was experiencing something glorious for the first time, yet he had never seen such an unmasked version before. Suddenly it dawned on him.

"This is your first time seeing snow, Cowboy?"

Napoleon narrowed his eyes without tearing them from the blanket outside. He cleared his throat. Illya repressed a grin. It was rare that Solo found himself speechless; without a witty remark.

Illya rocked back and forth on his feet, keeping his eyes fixed on Napoleon's. It seemed as though his heart were about to burst out of his chest if he didn't get the chance to fulfill his childish desires and rush out into the field of snow. Illya's heart also panged for the unbridled freedom that came with creating and trampling images on a freezing clear slate, though he would hardly admit it to himself.

"Well, what are you staring at? It's cold, let's go inside."

Illya almost felt guilty as the look of pure disappointment fell onto his teammate's face, shimmering in his blue eyes. He stuck out his lip as his face grew darker.

"But..."

Illya smirked. Solo truly was like a child. An idea flashed through the front of his mind. In the split second that followed, he unceremoniously and falsely sneezed, (it seemed horribly fake, even with all of his training) bringing his arm down spasmodically onto Napoleon's shoulder, then shoved him just a little too forcefully into the white powder.

"What the hell, Peril?"

Napoleon trailed off in a whisper, gazing down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them.

"It's freezing."

He remarked in what can only be described as astonishment. Illya seized his chance, and gathered a ball of snow in his large hands.

"What did you expect, Cowboy? A warm slice of toast?"

Napoleon frowned in confusion.

"A warm slice of wha-".

With a giant grin plastered on his face, Illya hurled the snowball directly at Napoleon's nose. Smack. He neatly brushed himself off, stood and lunged at Illya who by now was too busy pretending not to laugh to throw Napoleon off of him.

"You sly dog!"

Napoleon panted as he pinned Illya's shoulders into the hard packed snow.

"You never saw it coming, what a spy you are, Cowboy!"

He shrugged Napoleon off and leapt through the piles of snow away from him, glancing over his shoulders every few steps to make sure his friend had taken the bait. He stepped backwards as he watched the beauty of the scene unfold before him: Napoleon breathing heavily and attempting with great effort to leap across the snow as Illya had done with such perfected ease, stumbling and nearly falling every few feet. It just wasn't fair. Illya hadn't planned for this whole ordeal to be just so laughable, so perfect. The American spy stood no chance against mother nature.

He chucked another snowball at him.

"Hey! How is it that the esteemed Napoleon Solo is beaten by little snow?!"

Napoleon smirked, the familiar teasing fire in his eyes before hurling a poorly made snowball of his own at Illya's chest.

"Is this all you got?

" Illya taunted, tagging an uncontrollable chuckle to the end of his sentence.

He couldn't remember the last time he felt such an overwhelming sense of peace, joy. He was used to snow, it had become such a huge part of his life back in Russia. And even though with it came fury, pain and suffering as well...well those things came along with everything back home at one point or another. Snow was just one of those things that he chose to recall in a positive light. It was there with him through all of it, all of the suffering and hardships, and had caused some of them too, but it was always there, stark and beautiful, a constant companion, and when he was much much younger, a playmate.

Napoleon fell face first into the snow with a sudden splat, and suddenly all of the joy rushed out of the morning as Illya ran easily over to him.

"Hey, you alright?"

When there was no reply Illya grabbed hold of his shoulders and whipped him around to face him. For all of his intensive training, could it be possible that Napoleon had a low tolerance for the cold? Pearly teeth white as the snow were the only things that crossed the russian spy's field of vision as he was tackled to the ground.

"Gotcha. never let your guard down Peril, What a spy you are!"

He mocked with a very Napoleonish grin.

"You know I beat you always, why do you still try?"

Napoleon rolled his eyes as his body followed and soon they were laying side by side, panting in the snow, staring into the grey sky. It wasn't long before Napoleon wordlessly began to make circles with his arms and legs, leaving marks in the snow.

"Is this really the first time you seen snow?"

Illya asked turning to face his partner, eyebrows raised in expectancy.

"...Maybe...or maybe I'm just enthusiastic about the fluffy white stuff."

Illya shook his head and turned away, failing at holding back another grin.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you grin so much in one day"

Illya grunted.

"I don't know what you're referring to."

Napoleon sighed and sat up abruptly.

"Is it done? is this right?"

He pulled Illya up demandingly. "Yes, for amateur I suppose it is adequate." Illya mused. Napoleon's face turned a slightly darker shade of red and he huffed, a large swirl of air pooling out of his mouth. Illya's eyes, oh his eyes. They shone, dazzled striking blue against the blankness of the world.

"You're not used to the chill. I think we should return indoors now, enough fun for today, child."

Napoleon frowned and began to stand up, hissing as he came part of the way.

"I think I've hurt my ankle."

Illya's face flooded with concern. There was no way that the weak American was going to make it through all of the snow back to the cabin without some form of assistance.

Napoleon tried to straighten up but bit his lip in pain before stretching out his arms.

"Carry me."

One glance at his fluttering eyelashes dotted with snow and Illya obliged without so much as a remark, picking him up bridal style and stomping through the thick snow. When they got back to the cabin, he lay Napoleon on the bed and promptly propped him up with a few old pillows.

"Thanks, dear."

Solo wiggled his eyebrows in jest. Illya said nothing, closed the door then proceeded to pile dark green blankets over his friend.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to strip me first?"

Illya paused.

"Excuse me?"

Napoleon coughed. "I mean, hypothermia is very dangerous and very real and I read-"

Illya tugged off his soaked shirt and Napoleon squeaked in surprise at the sudden fluid motion.

"There. Happy?" Illya's face remained red. Napoleon raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well?"

Illya scoffed. "Well what?"

"Well...aren't you going to ask me how it was? My first snow?" Illya pursed his lips and attempted to keep a straight face.

"I tell you how it was: hilarious." Napoleon frowned in mock hurt.

"Ouch Peril, I thought I was doing so well, didn't you like my snow angel?" I

Illya cracked a grin for a split second, yet Napoleon didn't dare miss it. He kept looking in silence as Illya cast his gaze at the floor. Always hiding that one, his past his face, his emotions. He was too beautiful to keep hiding from everyone, especially Napoleon. It simply wasn't right.

"Ohh, I'm feeling weird...really chilled still actually."

Illya's eyes snapped up in concern and he turned to get more blankets.

"Wait! I read... I mean skin to skin...that is...clothes are too..."

Illya froze in place, back to Solo. There was an audible swallow.

"Peril?" Napoleon whispered. Without a word, Illya tore off his shirt and slid under the blankets beside his partner, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment. Napoleon's heart skipped a beat.

"See, it's much warmer this way, much more effective."

He kept his voice level and cool as he pressed his chest into Illya's side and grabbed hold of his arm. Illya was trembling. The sound of their breathing eventually filled the air and mingled softly with the chill, allowing them to both relax.

Silence, but silence was all that was needed between them as Illya buried his nose in Napoleon's shoulder, hiding his reddening face.

At last, as he waited, listening to Illya's thumping heart, Napoleon whispered,

"I love snow."


End file.
